Koss
R-80
Over-Ear
Headphones

Product Description

You'll feel like a pro, if you're not one already, with these studio stereophones from Koss. The accuracy and sound quality will astound you, bringing up nuances in your music that you never knew were there. The extra-thick ear cushions are comfortable, even after long sessions of use, and provide total isolation from outside interference. The extra-long coil cord lets you get comfortable without distortion or other sound glitches. It behaves like a true professional.

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Cucchi
a Casual Listener

Date Reviewed: October 26, 2014

Bottom Line:

I kid you not, the cushions just gave out - 16 year later. The vinylette tore and disintegrated almost overnight. They still sound great, and now my kids use them. The replacement pads are $5, plus shipping.

Return on investment is huge. I used them primarily for PS1 and PS2, Gran Turismo!

I treated them like gold and that's why they lasted. Can't say the same gift others.

i bought these when i first started listening to music alot..this was a while back. they had awesome treble and average bass. they cup broke though, and i didnt keep the receit. i fixed it with tons of tape but after a while the speaker gave out. i bought some panasonic cans..but they sucked compared to koss. i like the cable attachment..i still have the cable from the old one.

if you take out an extended warrenty and get them replaced when they snap then theyre awesome sounding phones..

This is a very underrated pair of headphones. The sound is REALLY good, as good as phones in the 200 dollar range, in my opinion. The bass is deep, and tight, with presence. And the highs are really clear with no tinny sound. Everyone that hears them comments on how clear they sound. They go plenty loud as well...louder than one can stand. Some people have had problems with the headband breaking, but I personally cannot see how one could break these unless they were abused. Treat them properly and they should last years. I have long used the Koss Porta Pro headphones because of their portability and supurb sound. (Look them up on here and you will see it is one of the top rated pairs of headphones PERIOD). I have also searched for a long time for a pair of sealed headphones that had a similar sound to the Porta Pros. I searched a long time, and sampled some very expensive cans. But when I heard these R-80s I knew the search was over. They sound very much like the Porta Pros! So if you like the sound of the Porta Pros... and I have never met anyone that has not been blown away from the sound of the Porta Pros... then you will love the R-80s. Just treat them with care, okay?! Too many people on here breaking these supurb headphones and thus the score is way lower than it should be! At least there is Koss's lifetime warranty. I have used it in the past on other headphones, and they replace with no questions asked.

I would only like to further emphasize what has already been said about these headphones. i have to be the one that's gone through the most pairs of these, just due to them breaking just at the top of the cup, the bend in the plastic at this joint is very cheap and cracks very easy when you stretch them to put them on your head. i am on my fourth pair of these headphones. no, i'm not nuts, i had an extended warranty with radioshack that was replacement coverage, thus every time they broke, i was given a replacement pair, free of charge. ways i have messed up these headphones: 1. wore them in the cold once, went to put them on my head, instantly cracked at the side. 2. a friend sat on my schoolbag when they were in it... not good. 3. i blew a pair of them when using them with my guitar amp one time.. cranked it up too much, didn't notice that the distortion wasn't rooted from the overdrive of the amp... and what can i say, i didnt ask them to replace them with a different model, i am completely satisfied with these headphones for only one reason... sound quality. for the money, they are an extremely excellent set of cans to please the ears with. bass is deep and punchy, great low-bass response, they're not like my sony mdr-500's where the bass is so quick to distort at higher volumes, these babies take it in stride. the midrange and treb's are extremely well defined and crisp, much better than anything else i've listened from before. although i haven't had the chance to try out many high-end pairs of headphones. so, in short... crappy construction, awesome sound. if i could find a good way to take the cans off of these things and make a stronger frame for them, i definately would. they can also be a bit uncomfortable to use for long periods of time, with the reported *creak* sound happening sometimes when you move your head slightly... i'm glad i own them, but now don't think that i'd like to be seen in public wearing them, they're just too big. nice cooshy cups, but tooooo big. anyway, that was my 2 cents and 99 pastoozas.

Ok, let me get one thing straight. It seems to me that all these consumers complaining "Hmm, oh, my headphones broke because they are crappy." or that they are cheap, are doing a little more than just "dropping" or "stretching" them to fit one's head. My koss's just broke the other week, but this was after 3 YEARS of ROUGH USE! (electrical tape works quite well if you wrap it tightly, plus it blends in). If these imbeciles would cease smashing their poor koss's with a hammer, or running them over with their car, they could actually take time to enjoy the benefits of these wonderful headphones. Another issue- the "phone jack-like" cord. I have taken this cord out many times (mainly because i was bored and had nothing else to do at the time), i am fairly careful in doing this (i have even tugged on the little tab and chuckled in blind amusement). You would have to be pretty rough on this cord to break it. So, my suggestion in order to sustain headphone life, to all of these mentally handicapped individuals, is to NOT RIP OUT THE CORD, AND NOT TO SIT ON THEM! I paid $40 for my R-90's (exactly like the R-80's except cloth ear cups, and open air grilles where the large circles are on the sides), and in my opinion, are the best headphones for that amount of money. I hope to use these until the wires are frayed, my electrical tape supply is depleted, and i justify on buying some grado's.